Author: Randy Beck

A fast becoming popular countertop surfaces among homeowners and designers are the quartz. Consisting of natural stone fused with polymer resins for this beautiful man-made material. Quartz provides positive features like consistent beauty, extreme durability, and no fussy maintenance.

However, quartz-like other countertop materials have a number of drawbacks. Check out some of the pros and cons of quartz countertops.

Pros

Persistent Beauty

Each slab is different from the next as natural stone is unique. Indistinction, quartz offers uniformity in terms of both color and pattern. You can be certain that the countertop you choose in the showroom is the same as the slab you will get.

Durable Material

Perfect for busy or even messy families, quartz is a durable, resilient material. In the market today, quartz is also one of the strongest surfaces available. It can tackle spills and splashes from things like juice, coffee, oil, and many more because the engineered product resists stains.

Simple Maintenance

Quartz is a non-porous surface and this is one of the best reasons for selecting it. You can have peace of mind knowing that your hygienic countertop is a safe place for preparing food Because quartz doesn’t breed bacteria or other microorganisms.

Cons

Price

Some may shy away from the engineered stone due to its price while there aren’t very many negatives to quartz counters. You have to consider quartz as an investment in your home just like granite or marble, you, but its durability and ease of maintenance means that your investment is all the worth.

Modern Look

It may not be the best choice for a truly traditional design because it tends to lean toward a more modern style. However, many homeowners make it work flawlessly within their design with the many patterns available in quartz.

Heat Resistance

Be cautious when using hot pots and pans, or even hot hair tools as quartz doesn’t handle the heat, as well as granite, does. It’s best to use a hot pad or trivet underneath and you should avoid putting these hot items directly on the countertop. The countertop could crack if quick temperature changes cause thermal expansion same characteristics with any natural stone.

The installing screen on porches continues to gain popularity. Planning a screened-in porch that fits needs and wants can be a challenging task as there are vast new products, materials and design ideas available in the market.

When considering screening a porch, here’s a list of screening type with corresponding color and features. Each is important to getting the best-screened porch for your home while the suggestion is in no distinct order.

The materials should look right and work together as you prefer to use in your screened structure. You can check Hoboken Flooring Installation for ideas and materials. Including pressure treated wood, cedar, composite and vinyl to name a few, there is a huge selection to choose from. When selecting a screen, don’t forget to consider your flooring option, materials used for exterior and your interior trim.

To cover a home, there are many kinds of siding materials that can be used. If you have time, you can try to visit Handyman Fort Lauderdale for your construction needs. Maybe you’ll find what you need there.

Brick, wood, and stone are the most popular materials but there are several choices for the exterior of your home. Compared to vinyl, they also cost more. The decision is yours as you’d consider the cost of the material or the aesthetic beauty that comes with the long-lasting quality of the material.

Brick

This material is considered highly priced due to the cost of brick adding the labor for the installation. Some people will shelve some budget for their home construction to get that handmade look and some people would imitate the look of homes where they actually made the brick on the site.

Brick makes up for more than it’s worth due to its durability while it can add 25 percent or more to the cost of your house construction compared a less-expensive option like vinyl.

Wood

For house construction, wood is the next high-end siding option to consider. Wood may also cost 25% more than vinyl or fiber-cement siding just like a brick. As the supply is unstable, lumber products are also unstable in their price fluctuations.

Natural Stone

This material is costly for a different reason and that’s because it’s heavier weight. This only means the natural stone is more difficult to install but is another high-end option material to consider. Due to the difficulty of installation, this will raise the labor costs.

Engineered Wood

A combination of wood chips breaks them down into fiber-size, add up resins and wax and, with heat and pressure, stick them to form a homogeneous panel, voila! You now have engineered wood. When it comes to siding the house that yields a very stable product that can provide an excellent finish and significant versatility, consider using the engineered wood material.

Cultured Stone

A produced stone veneer product, cultured stone replicates natural stone in size, shape, and texture. Cultured stone is lightweight compared to natural stone, which means installation is easier. The cultured stone product can be available anywhere in the country unlike quarried stone, which may be limited to a geographical area where it’s available.

What Is Flashing?

Manufactured either using the metal material or a rubber membrane material, flashing is a part of the system that prevents water from getting into the holes build in your roof. All roofs have perforations which means a number of openings or holes in the roof surface which permits for elements like skylights, chimneys, passages, and vents. These necessary holes in the roof can turn into an entry point for moisture if they’re not sealed properly.

To keep the roof secure and sealed off from moisture, ‘flashing’ acts as the barrier that’s placed around perforations.

Materials of Flashing

Usually produced from a metal like painted galvanized steel, stainless steel, zinc alloy, aluminum, copper, terne metal, lead or lead-coated copper, flashing can be produced by many different materials. For non-metal flashing, there is available produced from plastic sheet material or bituminous fabric.

Installation of Flashing

Extra care should come first to protect the flashing from opposing with other roofing materials when installing flashing. A galvanic corrosion is likely to happen, that will cause rust stains and metal decay once metal flashing comes into contact with metal roofing materials.

Flashing is installed relatively late in the plot of roofing construction. Roofing felt or some other type of impermeable membrane is installed, with holes made to lodge for any penetrations that will occur once the roof frame is positioned.

Flashing is then secured using nail or staple into place on every side of the penetrations. It is then sealed the gaps between the penetration and the flashing, including space between the impermeable membrane and the flashing. For the gaps, materials like glue, caulk or waterproof cement are utilized to seal it – which possibly interact with metal roofing and corrosion is formed. Preferably, after flashings have gone in, roof cladding is then installed.

Freestanding. Freestanding bathroom towel bars are suited for your home if you are worried about damage or you don’t want anything permanent, while there are many towel bars that attach to your wall. Using this type will not ruin your walls and you can remove them whenever you want although they take up a bit more room in the bathroom. When it comes to finding one that will fit in with your décor, they also provide many different options. Freestanding towel bars are portable, so they are easy to move around or swap out with a new style.

Plain. A normal towel bar is fine if all the aforementioned fancy towel bars aren’t your style. Over the years, there exist hundreds of styles from which you can choose from. So that it won’t end up crooked on your wall, be sure to have a level handy as installation can be a little tricky.

Over-the-door. Using over-the-door towel bars permits you to store your towels and robes behind a door. Because they maximize space, they are perfect for small bathrooms. If you don’t want clutter or to keep your towels out of sight, this bathroom towel bar is for you. For durability, select one made out of steel. If you opt for plastic ones, keep in mind that they are easy to break so better avoid using a heavy type of towels.

Swivel Type. There are available movable swivel towel bars. What’s good about it is they let you pivot the rod in any direction. One arm mounted to a wall, while the other arm or arms remain free with this type of towel bar. In any possible way you can, you’ll have two bars that you can use.

Retractable Under-Sink. The retractable under-sink towel bars can make you keep your towels inside a cabinet. You can maintain a clean-looking bathroom as they hide your towels away to be exposed. This will keep your towels yours and not used by the others like when you have house guests.

With integrated shelves. A towel rack with a towel bar attached to it can be mounted on the wall. While still being able to hang your used wet towels on the bottom, you would be able to store clean dry towels on the top, giving this style of bathroom towel bars double purpose. Most homeowners prefer Multi-functional bathroom towel bars. There would be many extra space provided with integrated shelves when using this type of towel bars. You can use it as storage for bathroom needs like toiletries, cosmetic kits, and even hair dryers.

Among tile contractors and builders, epoxy grout has become more and more popular. Compared to cement grout, which is produced from a cementitious powder mix, epoxy grout is produced from epoxy resins and a filler powder. The grout product is exceedingly durable and almost entirely stain proof. Unlike epoxy grout, regular grout can absorb water when it’s wet and stain easily and it’s not waterproof. Epoxy grout could be your best option if you’re tired of scrubbing the gunk off your grout.

Produced from two kinds resins, the epoxy grout is combined with a filler and has a capability that it is very waterproof and bettered suited to harsher cleaning products. In comparison to polymer modified cementitious grouts, the epoxy thin-sets gives greater bond strength and chemical resistance.

Take note: epoxy grout is more difficult to work with than regular grout while it has plenty of benefits. Some homeowners don’t like its tendency to look like plastic.

Regular grout is very simple to shape in outside corners where tile enfolds around a curb, a wall, or shower niche. It would be difficult to obtain the same effect with epoxy grout since it takes more time to set up in the grout joint.

If you wanted to do it by yourself, you don’t want to mix all the grout in the bathroom and then rush it into place since epoxy grout sets quickly. The epoxy grout haze or residue has a glossy sheen on tile surfaces. Before and after grouting to avoid this scenario, make sure your installer cleans your tile properly.

The time needed to cleanse the tile and the high price tag can make some installers skeptical to use epoxy grout. The performance of epoxy grout is not fully utilized as it is pricey and is much more expensive than regular thin-set. Usually, epoxy grout is only used to bond to difficult substrates or where extraordinary chemical resistance is required.

What is the best flooring for elderly? This question is common among family members who aid their elderly relatives. To start identifying which flooring is suitable for elders, safety and maintenance must always be considered.

Cork, carpet, and vinyl flooring are considered the best floors for elderly relatives by most people for its useful ability, material and its ability to provide safety for elders.

CORK

For its unique look and soft feel, cork has become popular over time. From a safety perspective; cork is the best choice. In case of a fall, elders will land on the soft surface and give a natural non-slip top.

Maintenance of cork flooring is absolutely easy. All you need is a broom and it can help clean up most of the messes. Moisture is the major concern with cork since it’s a porous material. It allows water to seep through to the subfloor, that can cause an unwanted build-up. Better scrap the idea from this option as the main flooring for elderly relatives unless you are guaranteed that the area where the cork flooring is installed will remain dry.

CARPET

For its squishy feel, carpet has typically been a popular choice. Carpet makes a great choice for a home where you are worried about falls when you take into consideration the material, padding, and how it’s installed.

Cleanliness is the main concern with carpet as stains can build up easily and accumulated germs. It could be an issue for some elderly relatives because much work is required for the maintenance. It is recommended to use carpet specifically in bedrooms and low traffic areas when considering what flooring is best for elderly relatives.

VINYL

The hardness is the largest downside for vinyl in the past. Vinyl flooring was only available in glue-down years ago and it was not very tolerant of falls. But all has changed now because you can install vinyl easily that comes with a supportive underlayment which makes the floor as soft as cork and slip-proof as well.

Vinyl plank flooring has all the other floors beat when maintenance is the concern. Among the three materials enumerated, it’s the easiest to clean up. It makes great in any part of the house for its water resistant quality and in case a portion of it gets destroyed, it can be easily replaced by a click installation plank.

Whatever type of flooring you’ve decided to choose among the list, always consider the safety of the elder followed by the maintenance aspect.

Cork flooring has been around for quite some time, its popularity in demand was just recently felt. Those who opt for renewable made from a natural, renewable substance that can be recycled without the culpability associated with using fine hardwoods from preserved forests.

Cork flooring is a very good and dependable material that could be used in most areas of the house and even on office but it’s not suitable for areas where the cork flooring will be in contact with water.

If you are looking for a perfectly unspoiled floor, this is not the right material since cork is a very soft material. Cork makes these floors relatively easy to damage while this might be delightful on bare feet. The floor can be easily punctured if any sharp object is dropped on it. It can pierce and scrape the material by like chair and furniture legs. High heels shoes can easily puncture the surface of a cork floor if not properly filled. Even small dirt particles can act like grits of sandpaper can tear across the surface of the material.

You may have a problem if you have very heavy appliances or furniture pieces because they may sink permanently down into the cork. It can also make it very difficult to move those appliances later on for cleaning or furniture rearrangement because this can only cause permanent divots in the material. Anyhow, there is always available products that can help prevent further damage of cork by using furniture coasters and placing larger pieces on flat wooden boards or other support pieces. If you really wanted to use cork flooring in the kitchen, you may want to use plywood platform or plastic pallet to rest your appliances over the cork.

Cork is prone to dog and cat nail scratches and it’s very visible especially if you have a big and heavy dog. If you really wanted to use cork flooring with pets to consider living in, just keep their nails trimmed.

The water is one of the major problems of cork flooring. In order to create an invisible blockade over its surface, the finishing process includes sealing cork and this offers some protection against water stains and damage.

High humidity may lead to tile popping out and can also cause the cork to curl or plump.

The cork flooring has a tendency to fade due to direct sunlight. The occurrence of discoloration and a patch of the floor can end up taking on a different hue than surrounding areas if direct sunlight is allowed to beam down on cork materials on daily basis. To prevent this from happening, use blinds and curtains plus constant care and maintenance of the material is a must.